At the rapid pace of digital and sustainable transformation, innovation is no longer an isolated process within companies and institutions. It requires collaboration, exchange of ideas and the ability to bring together different experiences to achieve faster and more effective results.This is the core concept of “open innovation” a model that has been gaining traction in the private and academic sector, allowing companies, universities, research centers and other entities to work together to create innovative solutions.
In the episode “Open Innovation” of the podcast Roots of Innovation, promoted by the Foundation for the Development of Agribusiness Research (Fundepag), which will air from March 27, on the Foundation's channels on YouTube and Spotify, the theme is explored by the director-general of the Institute of Food Technology (Ital), Eloisa Helena Garcia; the Head of Climate Change and Circularity of Nature, Fernanda Fachini; and the Specialist in Technological Innovation and New Business Development of Fundepag, Luciana Teixeira; with the moderation of journalist Peli.
Each of them brings a unique perspective on the importance of collaboration between the private sector, research institutions and emerging technologies to promote innovation that meets the real needs of the market and society. For Eloisa, in practice, open innovation allows the use of expertise from different areas without having all the knowledge inside the home. “Often, companies do not have the intellectual capital necessary to do everything themselves. Collaboration is fundamental to achieve results that, individually, would be more difficult to achieve”, he says.
Fernanda highlights Natura as an example of success in open innovation, since more than 70% of its innovations arise from this collaborative model, connecting different sectors to develop more complete solutions. “This approach allows us to integrate diverse knowledge and create more effective solutions”, says the expert, who for 20 years has been leading open innovation projects in the company.
Challenges and Advantages of Open Innovation
While closed innovation limits the process within the walls of the company or research institution, open innovation allows different actors to contribute their knowledge and experience. According to Luciana, however, for open innovation to work effectively, it is necessary to rely on legal instruments that ensure security for all parties involved. “As the results of these projects can take years to materialize, it is essential to define from the beginning what the rights and obligations of each participant will be. Companies usually worry about the benefits they will have in the end, but it is necessary to mature the mentality and see the bigger picture. Many challenges are too complex to be solved, and collaboration, with well defined rules, is not possible to achieve individually.
The episode also explores the role of open innovation in accelerating sustainable agendas.Since, without collaboration, the transformation needed to address environmental challenges would be impossible.“No one does anything alone”, Fernanda says, emphasizing that the private sector needs to increasingly look to external knowledge to create viable and sustainable solutions.
The third episode of the “Roots Innovation” podcast can be watched on Fundepag channels at YouTube and Spotify and it is an excellent opportunity to understand how the “Open Innovation” model is transforming Brazil.
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